Spyro: Hope and Despair
by Deeth Irteen
Summary: What if Sierra put a bit more effort into the storytelling of A New Beginning? What if the scale was bigger, and the stakes were higher? Join me as I reinvent The Legend of Spyro.
1. Chapter 1

_In the year of the dragon, in a world beyond the realms,_

_I, like all the others, awaited the birth of the dragon whom the prophecies foretold…_

It was the eve of the new year.

A fire dragon raced through a great forest towards a mighty temple. A harsh wind blew across his scales, bringing with it the smell of ash. In the distance, a thousand roars of rage and clashes of metal filled the sky.

Before long, the dragon finally reached the temple. He panted as he slowed to a walk before the doorway. The door was surrounded by a massive golden circle of metal. The circle itself had three round glyphs upon it, forming a triangle formation around the door.

He took a step back, inhaled deeply, and unleashed a torrent of flames upon the door. The fire lit up the three glyphs, unlocking the door and lowering it into the ground.

The dragon stepped through the doorway and into a large foyer. He worriedly scanned the interior of the room.

The chamber was circular, with the ceiling reaching high above the dragon's head. The walls were reddish-gold , and had torches attached to keep the room illuminated. A golden pool of greenish-blue water sat in the center of the chamber, bubbling and glowing mysteriously. An altar sat at the back of the room, behind which was a red banner.

All seemed to be well. The dragon sighed in relief. He approached the altar, a smile starting to form on his face.

Upon the altar was a small, golden bowl. And within this bowl was a single, purple egg. The dragon smiled down at the egg, reaching for it with a paw.

Suddenly, the entire temple shook. A great thunder crack echoed outside. The dragon looked about in alarm. He heard hard footsteps rapidly approaching from the entrance. The dragon turned around, hissing.

"Ignitus!" Called a familiar voice. The fire dragon let his guard down as a lightning dragon came rushing into the chamber. He was quickly joined by several more dragons in guard uniform.

"What is it?" Ignitus demanded.

"Theenemy's pushedpastthe outerdefenses!" The lightning drake shouted in rapid succession.

"Volteer, slow down!" Ignitus exclaimed. "I can't understand you."

"I said…" Volteer took a breath. "The enemy's pushed past the outer defenses! They'll be upon us at any moment!"

Ignitus' eyes lit up in horror.

We need to save the eggs!" Volteer shouted, rushing towards the hatchery. The guards quickly followed after him. As they left, the temple's ceiling shook yet again. Chunks of stone fell to the floor, and the pool of green water started spilling. In the distance, Ignitus could hear the clatter of war growing louder.

Frantic, the fire drake looked down upon the purple egg. Thinking quickly, he scooped it up in one paw and bolted towards the entryway. He used his fire breath to light the glyphs and took to flight the second he got outside.

As Ignitus flew away, he could see a great fire forming to the south. Down below, a battalion of dragons engaged in battle against countless furred monsters. One of the dragons seemed to spot Ignitus, and lifted off into the air, flying away from the battalion and then curving upwards towards him.

"Ignitus!" The dragon called. "I figured it might be you."

The second dragon flew alongside Ignitus. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking this one to safety, Terrador. We can't let them find it!"

"What of the other eggs?" Terrador asked.

"Volteer is seeing to them! I'll aid in their transportation as soon as I've ensure this one's safety!"

"Time is of the essence!" The earth dragon exclaimed. "We don't have time for you to worry about just one egg!"

"This is the purple egg!" Ignitus snapped. "We can't risk the Dark Master's forces finding it!"

"Ugh…" Terrador shook his head. " Very well. But you mustn't travel alone."

"You need to stay with the army, Terrador. This is my mission."

"But -"

"There's no time for banter!"

"Very well, Ignitus." Terrador moved to fly back towards the army. "May the ancestors guide you!"

The fire dragon flew off into the distance as the war raged on.

Some time later, Ignitus flew into a strange part of the forest.

Instead of trees, the thicket was composed of massive mushrooms that reached up to the sky. A feint, mystical aura hung in the air.

Ignitus came to a landing in a clearing in the woods. All around the clearing were small, multicolored creatues that flew on four wings.

Dragonflies.

The dragon approached the dragonflies slowly and cautiously. "Excuse me…"

A few of the dragonflies stopped and looked at him.

"What brings a dragon to this neck of the woods?" A red dragonfly demanded.

"I need your help." Ignitus pleaded. He placed the egg down on the ground before himself.

"What is THAT?" A green dragonfly demanded.

"I need you to take in this egg. Keep it safe from the outside world."

"Hold on." The blue dragonfly said. "You're from that temple, aren't you?"

"Yes. My name is Ignitus, and I need to keep this egg safe from harm."

"And just what's in it for us?" The green dragonfly demanded.

"Whatever it is you'd want in return, I cannot reciprocate immediately." Ignitus said. "But I swear on my title as Guardian that I'll return the favor someday."

The dragonflies looked amongst each other.

"What do you two think?" The blue dragonfly asked.

"It's not every day that someone from the bloody Dragon Temple comes here, Flash." The red one said.

"This could be a big deal, Sean." The green dragonfly stated.

"But how are we supposed to care for a dragon egg?" Sean asked.

"I'll take charge of the egg." Flash said.

"You sure about that?"

"Yes." Flah flew up to Ignitus' face. "We'll look after the egg for you."

"Thank you." Ignitus carefully pushed the egg a bit forwards towards the egg. "You have my word, I'll repay this favor someday."

"I'll hold you to that." Flash replied.

The dragon bent his head down to the egg.

"May the Ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."

And with that, he took to the skies and flew away.

Greetings, Friends and Loved ones.

Ever since I started writing on Fanfiction dot net, I've always wanted to do my own retelling of A New Beginning. As much as I love that game, there were a few problems in the plot that I felt needed fixing. So, after two years of practicing with my own series, I finally feel like tackling this idea of mine. Also, the title might change once I find one I feel really sticks to the themes and motifs of the Legend trilogy. Will I update once a day again? We'll have to wait and see.

Tenebra ecce Veritas.


	2. Chapter 2

_Twelve years later_

The red afternoon sky cast itself over the Mushroom forest. Thousands of crickets chirped away, never leaving a so much as a second of silence.

Countless dragonflies made this forest their home. Most of them never left, and even fewer cared there was an outside world at all. No worries of wars ever crossed them. No outside threats ever gave them sorrow. Indeed, the forest was an absolute paradise.

In a large clearing, a purple dragonfly stood under a tree. What made this "dragonfly" peculiar was that it was much bigger, stood on four legs, and had golden horns and scales.

He stood up on hind legs against the tree, eyes covered by his wings.

"…Eight, nine, ten… here I come!" After counting, he turned and looked around, eyes scanning every inch of the murky mud.

While the purple dragonfly wasn't looking, two more flew along the side of the tree, quietly watching them. The green dragon chuckled as the golden one rushed up to the back of the purple's head.

The purple dragonfly gasped as the golden one whizzed around his head.

"Hey!" The purple protested. The golden one flew a short distance away and laughed. The purple and green dragonflies started laughing along with him.

"You two just gave yourselves away!" The purple exclaimed.

"Yeah, but you still have to CATCH us, Spyro!" The green dragonfly teased.

"Fine by me, Blix!" Spyro chased after them, and the laughter resumed.

Spyro had always accepted the world into which he was born, believing he was one of the dragonflies. A big, purple one of them, sure, but one of them nonetheless.

When Spyro thought he had an opening, he jumped into the air at the two other dragonflies. He tried to cup his paws around them, but they dashed away just as he tried.

"You'll never catch us this time, purple-boy!" The gold teased, flying up and away.

Spyro chased after them again, attempting to cup his paws over them a few more times here and there. At one point, Spyro jumped up and tried to catch the golden dragonfly in his mouth. But once again, he was a second too late.

"WHOA!" The golden dragonfly exclaimed. "Nice try!"

"I'll get you yet, Sparx!" Spyro shouted.

A few moments later, after flying around Spyro's head, the two other dragonflies flew around to the other side of the tree. However, the trail of light their tails left behind gave them away.

"I see you, my little glowing friends." Spyro chuckled.

"Seeing and catching are two different things, big boy!" Sparx laughed. He prompltly turned and flew up to a high part of the clearing, Blix following in tow.

"Yeah, you better run." Spyro grinned.

Spyro trotted across the clearing to a part of the ground that rose up and around, going higher and higher as it went. He followed the makeshift ramp up to a small gap. He picked up speed and leapt across, lightly gliding down with his wings to land safely on the other side.

He kept following the ramp up higher and higher, until it curved to the right and led to a dark pathway. Further inside, Spyro saw Sparx and Blix floating at the edge of a small pit. Upon approaching them, the two dragonflies flew across to the other side. The only thing to form a "bridge" was a series of old, rickety tree branches.

"What's the matter little Spyro? You can't fly?" Sparx asked. He put a hand on his chin. "Ahh, that's right. You walk walk everywhere. Mmm, that's too bad."

Spyro scoffed. "You're toast when I catch you!"

The purple dragonfly took several steps back. He then charged at full force across the tree branches, speeding along just before the branches collapsed. Blix gasped and flew away, bumping into Sparx.

"Hey, watch it!" The golden dragonfly exclaimed, flying after him.

Once Spyro was on the other side, he resumed trotting after the others down the path.

The path fed into another clearing, smaller than the last. As Blix flew into the clearing, he spotted something leaping out of the ground.

It was a big, bulbous-headed plant, with a thin green body. A big, slimy tongue occasionally slid out of its frog-like maw. Startled, Blix flew up and out of the creature's line of sight. Sparx, however, was too busy teasing Spyro to notice it.

"Aaah, must be tough to lose all the time, Spyro!" Sparx laughed.

"Sparx, look out!" Blix exclaimed.

"Wha-?" The golden dragonfly turned to look behind himself, but was too late. The creature stuck its tongue out and caught Sparx, instantly pulling him into its mouth. It quickly gulped, creating a splashing sound inside it.

"Alright, let me out of here, you overgrown fungus!" Sparx's voice echoed through the creature's belly.

Spyro and Blix burst into laughter.

"Guys, seriously, lend me a hand here, will ya?" Sparx asked.

"Gee, Sparx, I don't' know." Blix chided.

"Yeah, Frogweed's gotta eat too." Spyro added.

"Whack it!" Sparx roared. "Do something. My wings are getting moldy!"

"Eh, better do what he says." Blix said. "Your mom would be upset if we left him in the frogweed _again_."

"Yeah…" Spyro ran up to the frogweed and headbutted it with his horns. He smacked it a few more times. The frogweed gagged and coughed Sparx up. It sank into the ground with a mournful wail as the dragonfly splatted against Spyro's chest. Sparx fell to the ground, groaning.

"Ugghh…" He grimaced, getting up. "Now I smell almost as bad as you do."

Sparx flew up into the air and dashed away. "And that's pretty bad. See ya later, sucker!"

Blix flew off after him, chuckling. The two flew through a wall of old vines. Spyro shook his head.

"So much for gratitude."

Spyro rammed his way through the vines, shattering them to pieces. He found himself on yet another path. A few more frogweeds sprouted from the mud, getting in his way.

"Oh, will you move it!" He protested, smacking them away.

Eventually, Spyro found himself at the end of the path. It led up to a giant stone shaped like a snake, at the foot of a giant rock formation. The two dragonflies seemed to be arguing about something.

"I'm telling you, this is going on for too long." Blix scolded.

"Oh, get over it, wuss." Sparx snapped. The golden dragonfly moved up towards the snakehead.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Spyro shouted. " We're not allowed in there!"

"Pfft, Excuses, excuses." Sparx rolled his eyes. "Catch up or give up, chunky!"

He flew right through the snake head and onwards into the cave beyond. Spyro cocked an eye ridge at Blix.

"Don't look at me." He protested. "It wasn't my idea to go in there!"

"I know that…" Spyro sighed. "I guess I better go get him."

"I'm staying out here." Blix quickly said. "There's no way I'm going into the creepy cave of death."

"Thanks for the support." Spyro rolled his eyes. He knocked the giant stone "teeth" over, and ran inside.

In another part of the forest, a swarm of butterflies fluttered along through the mushroom forest. They flew from mushroom to mushroom, with no real pattern to be found.

Eventually, the butterfly swarm passed through a small clearing. The clearing was broken by only a small pathway through the middle. In the center of the path, there lay a great, red dragon. He was in his late twenties, almost a fully grown adult.

The dragon was fast asleep, his head on his forepaws and his body dressed in a large saddle of various items. His body rose up and down in tune with his snoring. His three lightning-shaped horns grew upon the back of his head, and a scar ran down the left side of his face.

One of the butterflies broke off form the swarm and rested on the tip of the dragon's muzzle. He sniffed and wrinkled his nose. After a few seconds, the dragon loudly sneezed, scaring off the butterfly and waking himself off. He sat on his haunches, rubbing his muzzle.

"Bloody bugs." He sneered. He stretched his back and stood up.

"Rory, it's time to get going." The dragon said. Hearing no response, he looked around. "Rory?"

The butterfly swarm came back into view, flying around the dragon's head. He swatted them away with a forepaw.

"Hey, get out of here!" He shouted.

Without warning, another red dragon came charging into the clearing, scattering the butterflies. This one was roughly a decade and a half younger than the larger one. He had four horns, two larger ones and two smaller ones, all curved like ram's horns.

"Where did you vanish off to, Rory?!" The older dragon demanded. Rory collapsed onto the ground, laughing.

"Sorry, Calcifer." The youngling said, standing up. "I couldn't help but explore this place. It's so freaky!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay within my sight?" Calcifer snapped. "Father told me to keep you out of trouble while we're out here."

"I know, I know…" Rory grimaced. "But I couldn't help myself. They have _mushrooms_ for _trees_!"

Calcifer rolled his eyes. "Just pick up your belongings and come on. We have an important mission here."

Rory picked up a small saddlebag laying against his brother's. After strapping it onto his back, he followed Calcifer out of the clearing.

"So, what are we supposed to be doing again?" Rory asked.

"There's a very important dragon in this forest." Calcifer explained. "He's supposedly very rare, but easy to spot a mile away."

"How so?"

"Father says we'll know him when we see him." The older drake shrugged. "He also said that he's twelve years overdue on some promise or something. I don't get it."

"Okay, but what do we _do_?" Rory demanded. "You're not stalling again, are you?"

"No, no. We need to escort this important dragon back to father. And according to the coordinates he gave me, we should be arriving at the dragon's home very soon."

"Cool! I wonder what he looks like…"

And with that, the two dragons continued through the forest.

Spyro cautiously walked through the narrow cave. The walls almost resembled a giant, ancient snake skeleton, continuing all the way through to the end.

"Where's that little knat gone now?" He wondered aloud. He looked left and right, trying to find a speck of the golden trail usually left behind by that rambunctious brother of his.

"Has anyone seen a giant purple thing around here?" Sparx's voice echoed in the distance of the cave. "I seemed to have lost mine."

"Aha!" Spyro charged down the cave towards the source of the voice. Along the way, more frogweeds sprouted out of the ground, their croaking filling the air.

"Here we go again." Spyro groaned. He smacked his way past them and kept charging through the cave.

The cave eventually led out into yet another pathway and clearing in the forest. Sure enough, Sparx was floating around in the air. He scoffed as Spyro finally caught up with him.

"You know, this is getting a little boring…" The golden dragonfly said.

"If that's the case, let's head back." Spyro replied. "You know we're supposed to stay away from this side of the forest."

"Hmm… I vote no." Sparx stated.

"What? Come on, Sparx! If Dad finds out we're out here, he'll throttle us!"

"Maybe, but right now, I'm checking out this place!" Sparx declared. "Ciao, Tubby!"

Sparx turned tail and zoomed down the forest clearing, racing out of view.

"Sparx, wait!" Spyro shouted, chasing after him.

As the two ran through the forest, a group of strange creatures watched them from high atop the mushroom buds. They had short, round bodies, walked on two feet, and were almost completely covered in fur. Most of them cackled endlessly to themselves, but the largest one glared angrily down at the two.

"I thought all thoze guyz cleared outta this land." He sneered. He waved an axe in the air, gaining the attention of the other creatures. "Hey, follow them! But don't let them see ya!"

As if on que, the creatures leapt from mushroom to mushroom, following after the two.

"What do we do next, Captain?" One of the smaller creatures asked.

"What do you think, Squab?" The Captain asked. "We take the purple one."

As Calcifer and Rory were walking through the pathway in the forest, the younger drake flinched. Off in the distance, he heard a feint cackling sound.

"Cal, did you hear that?" Rory asked nervously.

"Hear what?" Calcifer asked.

Suddenly, the cackling got a lot louder. Calcifer gasped in alarm.

"Apes!" The dragon struck the shoulder-gaurd on his left foreleg, hitting a small glyph in the center of a circle. Instantly, it glowed white, and a metal gauntlet sprouted from the shoulder-guard, forming all the way down to the talons on his paw. He did the same with the shoulder-pad on his other foreleg, and charged towards the source of the cackling.

"Bro, wait up!" Rory complained, following him.

Spyro chased Sparx all the way to the end of the pathway. They came to a stop before a large wall of dirt, too high up for Spyro to climb or leap onto.

"End of the line!" Spyro exclaimed.

"For YOU, maybe." Sparx simply flew up the side of the wall.

"Sparx, come back down here!" Spyro protested.

"See ya, fatty!" Sparx kept flying up.

As Sparx reached the top of the wall, a metal cage came in out of nowhere and clasped shut around the dragonfly.

"AAGH!" He screamed.

"SPARX!" Spyro shouted in horror.

The hand holding the cage revealed itself to be a round, hairy beast. It had a face painted red and blue, and glared down at Spyro with tainted yellow eyes. Withour warning, several other, smaller beasts leapt into the clearing, Surrounding Spyro on all sides.

"Who are you?!" Spyro demanded. "Let Sparx go!"

"Don't let him get away." The largest creature declared. The smaller beasts danced in place, cackling insanely. As they approached, Spyro flared his nostrils with rage.

"You want a fight? Then you've got one!"

Spyro charged the nearest beast and smacked it backwards. He then charged at the next one, doing the same thing. Before long, Spyro was trying to ram each and every one of the beasts in the same way. Before long, they got wise to his tactics, and danced around him, easily avoiding his charges.

"Darn it!" He yelled.

A few of the beasts leapt onto Spyro's body, pinning him to the ground.

"Get off me!" He screamed.

"Don't let them win, Spyro!" Sparx shouted. "I need you to bust me outta here!"

"Silence." The large creature sneered.

Down below, the hairy monsters had managed to pin Spyro to the ground. Ho matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rise up so much as a few inches before being forced into the dirt again.

"Let me go!" He shouted, struggling to break free. "Someone, HELP!"

"You will be coming with me, dragon." The large ape declared. "Resistance is pointless!"

Suddenly, a great, thundering roar echoed throughout the forest, shaking the thin plants and weeds. The creatures all covered their ears in pain, including the large one.

And then, a giant, red monster with metal covering its forelegs leapt through the canopy and into the area. The beast was nearly twice as tall as Spyro, and had a body remarkably similar to his own. It landed hard atop a few of the smaller beasts, its forepaws crushing the bodies of two of them. The ground shook as it did, causing the other beasts to fall off of Spyro.

"NO WAY!" Sparx exclaimed in alarm.

"Another one?!" The leader of the hairy monsters shouted in anger.

The red monster immediately stormed after the hairy beasts. They fled away as it smashed and punched at them with its great big forelegs. One by one, the giant made short work of them.

As the hairy beasts died, their bodies glowed a bright red. And an instant later, they shattered, turning into small, technicolor gems. Spyro watched the whole event, dumbstruck.

"What in the world is going on?" He asked.

"Hey Cal, wait for me!" A voice called from up above.

Soon enough, another red creature flew in from the canopy. This one was much smaller, just a little bigger than Spyro was. His jaw nearly hit the floor as he got a better view of the newcomer.

"Cal, let me take one of them on!" The smaller red monster complained.

"I have it under control." The giant replied. "Attend to the purple one for now."

"Purple one?" The red creature turned his head and spotted Spyro. The two gasped in unison.

"You look like me!" Spyro declared.

"Uh… not really." The red creature grimaced.

Suddenly, something landed with a thud between the two. It was a red cylinder, with a wick coming out of it. The red creature gasped, and immediately smacked it towards a couple of apes. A split second later, it exploded, taking the two monsters with it.

"What WAS that?" Spyro exclaimed.

"Dynamite!" The red creature shouted. He looked up and gasped. "Look out!"

He shoved Spyro out of the way as another stick of dynamite crashed into the ground right where he was a second ago. Up above, one of the beasts was tossing more sticks of dynamite down at them. Meawhile, more and more of the small beasts kept pouring into the area.

"They just keep coming, Calcifer!" The smaller creature protested.

"Then I'll just keep killing them!" The giant replied, headbutting one of the beasts into three more.

Before long, the beasts descended upon Spyro and the red creature. The latter responded by smacking and headbutting them away.

"Mind helping me out?" He asked.

"Uh, sure…"

Spyro and the stranger stood side by side as they attacked the assailing beasts. Every now and then, they'd smack a stick of dynamite away, blowing up several of the monsters at once.

"Do you think we're winning yet?" The stranger asked.

"I don't know!" Spyro said.

Up on the cliff, the large beast sneered with rage at Sparx.

"Let me outta here and fight me like a…" Sparx protested. "Like a… thing… whatever you are. You pathetic wretch!"

The beast leapt down from the cliff and placed the cage on the ground.

"I've had about enough of you!" The beast roared. He reached for an axe on his belt and lifted it into the air.

"Sparx, look out!" Spyro screamed. His eyes went wide as the beast prepared to swing the blade down.

"Noooooo…aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

A burst of red flames exploded out of Spyro's mouth. The fire burned the side of the beast's face. The beast dropped his blade and ran off, covering his face and spewing a stream of curses.

"Wha hoo…" Sparx cheered. "Was that **fire**, dude?!"

"Yes, it was!" The giant said from across the way.

The large beast leapt back on to the top of the wall. A number of new beasts leapt into the area, cackling yet again.

"Take care of 'em!" The leader called down. "I gotta report to Cynder…"

He proceeded to leap higher and higher onto the cliffs beyond, vanishing from view. Down below, Spyro glared around at the surrounding beasts, feeling this strange, newfound power lapping at the back of his mind.

"Come on, Rory." The giant said. "We need to finish off the rabble."

"Got it, Bro!" The two strangers breathed deeply and unleashed torrents of red flames, burning the beasts alive. Seeing no reason not to, Spyro joined in, careful not to scorch himself.

Before long, the last of the hairy monsters had fallen. All that remained were scattered bits of the strange gems. The giant picked a few of the green gems up and crushed them. The mist they created flew into his body, and he sighed contentedly.

"Right then…" He turned and faced Spyro.

Spyro ran up to the cage that still housed Sparx.

"Get me outta here, Spyro.." The dragonfly complained. "I think my wings are singed…"

Spyro smashed the cage with a headbutt, freeing his brother.

"You okay?" The purple asked.

"You almost torched me, dude." Sparx snapped, crossing his arms. "You and… and…"

The dragonfly's jaw nearly hit the ground as he laid his eyes on the two strangers. The smaller one waved.

"Hi!"

"What in the…" Sparx muttered. "Whosit… Whasit… And I thought YOU were the fattest thing in the forest!"

The giant snorted. "And **I** always thought butterflies were the most annoying things in the forest."

"Hey!" Sparx snapped.

"Uh…" Spyro said, looking between the two strangers. "Who ARE you two? Why do you look like me?"

"What?" The smaller stranger asked, confused. "Isn't it obvious?"

Before the conversation could go on for long, the sound of dozens of fluttering wings filled the air. A moment later, a crowd of that many dragonflies flew out of the air and into the area.

"Spyro! Sparx!" And old, red dragonfly bellowed. "You two are in a heap of trouble!"

"Uh-oh." Sparx grimaced. "Old Man Sean's here to liven up the party."

Sean and his team of dragonflies flew up to the gathering. Blix the dragonfly flew alongside Sean, frowning.

"Sorry, guys…" Blix muttered. "I had to do it."

Sean came to a stop before the two strangers. His crowd gasped, while Sean himself sneered.

"Dragons." The aged dragonfly remarked. "More dragons."

"Greetings." The giant said, lowering his head down to Sean. "I've been sent on my father's behalf to pay back his debt."

"Debt? What debt?" Spyro demanded. "What are you talking about?! And why haven't you answered any of my questions?!"

Sean sighed. "Spyro, you're about to have a very rough day."


	3. Chapter 3: Dragons

"So I'm just about ready to blow the top off that place and kick that guy's booty," Sparx said, "when Spyro let loose with some serious flame, dude. No joke, either. Flames. From his **mouth.**"

Spyro and Sparx were just outside the dwelling of their parents, Flash and Nina. It was a giant, hollowed—out mushroom, one of several in a massive clearing. The entire area was used as a sort of village for the many dragonflies in this part of the forest.

"I was just trying to help." Spyro said sadly.

"Some help." Sparx remarked sarcastically. "You nearly turned me into ashes, dude. Mom, Dad, you shoulda seen him! He out breathing FIRE, alright? And after that, those two weirdos did the same thing! I tell ya, it was crazy!"

The two adult dragonflies exchanged worried glances. They turned and briefly looked far across the way. On the other side of the village, Sean and a few others were talking with the two giant villagers.

"You believe me, don't ya?" Sparx asked. "Spyro, tell them!"

"It's true, Dad." Spyro said. "I swear. I just got real man, opened my mouth, and whoosh! Flame city!"

"It's not that, Spyro." Flash said. "I believe you both. It's just that…" The dragonfly sighed. "… You mother and I knew this day would come."

"What day?" Spyro asked.

"The day when we would have to tell you the truth."

"What…?"

Flash sighed again, and turned to face the opposite side of the village. "I'm sure you're curious as to why those strangers look so much like you."

"Well, yeah…" Spyro admitted. "I've always thought I was the only one who looked… well…"

"Chubby?" Sparx remarked.

"Sparx, hush." Nina snapped. "Wait in your room!"

"Sorry, Mom…"

"Come on, Spyro." Flash said. "Introduce yourself to them."

"Okay…" Spyro walked off towards the other side of the village, Flash and Nina following behind. As they approached, the conversation between Sean and the stranger became clear.

"…And so you see," The giant said, "Father's not in the best emotional state, so he sent me in his stead."

"And you think you can just drop in, snatch him up, and leave?" Sean grunted. "After twelve whole years of no-show?"

"Father had hoped that, if the purple one was kept safe, this would be the best time to bring him in for proper training. But that was before we lost access to the temple. While he's been halfheartedly trying to reclaim, his duties and debts fell onto me. And here I am now."

"That's all well and good." Sean shrugged. "And as much as I'd love to hand him right over, you have to take this up with the boy's father, Flash. He lives over…"

The red dragonfly shook his head in surprise upon seeing Spyro, Flash and Nina approached. "Well what do you know! He's right here."

Flash flew up to the giant, who bowed his head.

"Pleased to meet you, sir." The stranger said. "My name is Calcifer, Guardian of Fire."

"I am Flash." The dragonfly replied. "This is my wife, Nina, and you've no doubt met our son, Spyro."

"Uh, hi…" Spyro said sheepishly.

"Spyro, eh?" Calcifer remarked. "So that's your name."

"Yeah. So, uh… What are you?"

"I'm a dragon." The giant declared. "As are you."

Spyro's eyes grew wide.

"What?!" He exclaimed.

"About twelve years ago, my father Ignitus brought you here as an egg." Calcifer said. "He wanted you to remain here in safety until the time came to bring you to your true home."

"That can't be true!" Spyro protested.

"I'm sorry to cause you distress, but what I'm saying is the absolute truth."

"But… I…" Spyro looked between Flash and Nina.

"So…" A few tears formed in Spyro's eyes. "I'm not your real son?"

"You **are** our real son." Nina reassured. "It's just that you came from somewhere else."

"Where?"

"Far away, where wars rage on and on, and the innocent seem to always pay the price."

Spyro turned to face Calcifer. "Is this true?"

"Yes." The stranger nodded.

"And… you want to take me out there?" Spyro glared.

"It's for your own good." Calcifer said. "And also for the good of this village."

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"You didn't see them, but Spyro was ambushed by a legion of apes; one of the three armies ruled by General Cynder."

"Apes?" A dragonfly in the crowd repeated.

"Apes are beasts that walk on two legs, and have bodies covered in fur. They can't harness magic, but they make up for that with incredible machinery. They've fought in this war for ages, and they've begun to spread into this very forest."

The crowd murmured.

"Why?" Sean asked. "We've stuck to ourselves for generations. Why invade us now?"

"The party we fought was likely just a recon squad." Calcifer suggested. "However, they spotted Spyro here, and their captain fled, no doubt to inform the larger army and spread word across the lands. "

The murmuring grew louder.

"Before long, they'll send another squadron to capture him." The stranger continued. "And there's no telling what lows they'll stoop to just to get their hands on him. They may even attack your village, or worse."

Shouts of fear rose from the crowd.

"Alright, that's enough!" Sean snapped.

"I'm only trying to warn you." Calcifer said. "If I take Spyro from this village, it'll divert their attention away from you all."

"So he's what's keeping us in danger!" Sean declared.

"Sean!" Nina screamed. "How dare you say that!"

"But it's true, isn't it?!" The red dragonfly continued. "We all knew something like this would happen someday! The outside world is filled with nothing but trouble! Now look what's happened!"

"That's enough!" Flash snapped. "It's not Spyro's fault that the world is the way it is!"

"Be that as it may, trouble's coming to look for him. Those Guardian snobs may be bound by honor, but I wouldn't trust anyone else out there as far as I could throw it!"

"I see…" Calcifer said, rolling his eyes.

"Sean, you're going too far!" Nina shouted.

"But I'm right." Sean said matter-of-factly. "Spyro should leave the village, before anything else happens!"

"You have no right to exile him!" Flash yelled.

Before long, an entire argument erupted. Some of the villagers even started taking sides on the matter. All the while, Spyro looked down at the ground, his world shattered. As the squabbling commenced, Calcifer knelt his head down to Spyro.

"Listen, Spyro." He said softly. "I understand how hard this must be for you."

The purple dragon said nothing.

"Now listen to me. There is a great big world out there. And even with all the chaos and the war, there are still some dragons out there that would be happy to see you."

"Really…?" Spyro asked halfheartedly.

"Plus, once this war is finally over, and the right side has one, you could return here."

Spyro looked up at Calcifer, teary-eyed. "Is that true?"

"Of course."

The youngling took a deep breath, and turned to face the arguing dragonflies.

"I've made a decision!" He shouted. The crowd stopped and looked at him curiously.

"I've decided… I'm going to leave."

Some dragonflies gasped, while others smiled. Flash and Nina, howerver, gasped in alarm.

"Ah, glad to see you finally see things MY way." Sean declared.

"Spyro, ignore him!" Flash pleaded. "He can't make you leave if you don't want to."

"But I _do_ want to." Spyro said. "There could be more of my kind out there; I want to find where I come from. And besides, I wouldn't want to put any of you in danger."

Flash and Nina exchanged glanced.

"Is that what you really want to do, Spyro?" Nina asked.

"Yes, Mom."

"We don't have to leave immediately." Calcifer interjected. "We have at least enough time to rest for the night. It's getting too late to travel, anyhow."

"Fine." Sean groaned. "Stay the night. But tomorrow, you're out of here!"

"Sean, if you don't stop that, so help me…!" Nina snarled.

Spyro shook his head, and turned to return to the dwelling.

The next morning came. Calcifer prepared for the long trip back to the temple. Rory spent the morning chasing after the butterflies in the next clearing over.

Meanwhile, Spyro got up early, ate breakfast with his family, and spent about half an hour wandering through the village. He looked around at every mushroom, every boulder and bubbling mud puddle he had known and loved about his home for years. After today, he would leave for the first time. When he would return, he didn't know.

After his personal tour, he said goodbye to all his old dragonfly friends. Blix was especially sad to see him go.

"I can't believe you're leaving, dude." He said sadly, hugging Spyro's horn. "I'll miss you, Spyro."

"Same here, Blix." Spyro replied. "I'll never forget you."

"You better not!"

After that, Spyro approached the back of the village, where Calcifer and Rory waited for him. Flash and Nina flew alongside him the whole way.

"We're going to be heading through to the other side of the forest." Calcifer said. "Once across, we'll take you to see my father Ignitus."

"If you say so…" Spyro mumbled.

Without warning, Sparx flew up from behind Spyro and floated before his face, arms crossed.

"So this is it, huh?" Sparx sneered. "Leaving everything behind at the old homestead? Not a care in the world, don't look back."

"This is _your_ home, Sparx, but I just found out that _my_ home is out there somewhere…" Spyro said. "And I've got to find it. Besides, I'm not leaving you behind. I'm just leaving you where you belong."

"Well, I thought I belonged with you, 'cuz I'm ALWAYS with you." Sparx replied. "But I guess I was wrong, huh?"

"Sparx…"

"I'm sure I'm wrong on a lot of things. You know what? You're right, I'm wrong."

"Don't worry about him, Spyro." Flash said. Spyro turned to face his adoptive parents.

"You know how hotheaded he can be." The blue dragonfly continued. "You'll see him when you get back."

The youngling bent his head low, frowning. A few tears formed again.

"Now, now, son." Flash reassured. "Keep your head up, your nose clean, and use that magic of yours wisely. All gifts come with a price."

"Don't listen to your father's preaching, Spyro." Nina chuckled, patting her son's head. "Just be yourself. It's all any of us can do."

"Goodbye, Mom, Dad…" Spyro stated. The two hugged Spyro's face.

"Goodbye, son." Flash said.

"We'll always love you." Nina added.


	4. Chapter 4: The Journey

The midday sun blazed high in the sky. Calcifer led the trio of dragons as they walked down the wide path in the forest. Spyro bent his head low as he walked, not saying a word. Rory, meanwhile, looked every which way at the forest, eyes sparkling with amazement.

"This forest is unbelievable!" Rory said happily. He glanced at Spyro, hoping for a response. When the purple dragon said nothing, Rory frowned.

"I'm Rory, by the way." He said. "It's nice to meet you."

Still, the purple dragon said nothing.

"Oh, come on…" Rory protested. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Leave him, Rory." Calcifer scolded. "Let Spyro speak when he's good and ready."

"But…"

"I said leave him alone." The adult snapped. "Can you not see he's quite troubled at the moment?"

Just then, a cackling sound came from the top of a mushroom. Spyro flinched. "Did you hear that?"

Clacifer snarled, clenching his forepaws. He looked around, listening for another noise. At first, the forest seemed silent again. The adult dragon relaxed himself.

"Perhaps it was nothing." He suggested.

Suddenly another cackle sounded. Then another one. And then a great howl. Calcifer hissed in rage. He activated his gauntlets and prepared to attack.

"Where are you?!" He roared.

Rory and Spyro looked around. They couldn't see any apes, but they could hear them all over the place.

"You don't think…" Rory started.

The three dragons looked up. High above their heads, apes leapt from mushroom to mushroom, cackling and laughing the whole time. Nearly a dozen of them jumped back and forth across the air above the pathway. And then, suddenly, they stopped.

Calcifer snarled, getting into a battle stance. Spyro and Rory, meanwhile, kept looking for the apes.

"Where did they go?" Rory asked.

"Keep calm." The adult dragon said. "They're just trying to spook us."

Suddenly, a great, mighty roar sounded behind the dragons. Spyro's eyes went wide. Without thinking, the purple dragon ran ahead of the other two.

"Spyro, wait!" Rory exclaimed, chasing after him.

Spyro leapt over a log and glided across a small gap in the path. He landed in a small clearing, before a mushroom tree. He sat in the mud, chest pounding as he caught his breath. A moment later, Calcifer and Rory landed in the clearing and approached him.

"What were you thinking?!" Calcifer demanded.

"I'm sorry, I…" Spyro stuttered.

"You have to stay by me at all times!" The adult dragon snapped. "Suppose those apes were planning an ambush. They could have grabbed you and run off!"

"I said I was sorry!" The purple dragon exclaimed.

"Can't you chill out, bro?" Rory asked.

"Ugh, fine." Calcifer groaned. "What do I know? I'm just the dragon in charge of your safety."

As the dragons were talking, the mud around the tree shook around. Several frogweeds climbed up out of the mud. The adult dragon groaned.

"Nevermind. Let's just get rid of those things and keep moving."

The three dragons used their fire breaths to burn the frogweeds away. Once they were gone, Calcifer walked up a small path that led up and around the clearing.

"So where are we going again?" Spyro asked.

"We're heading for my father's home." Calcifer answered. "It's quite a ways away from here."

The three dragons passed by a short, white mushroom. It appeared to shake as Rory passed by it.

"What the…" Rory tapped the side of the mushroom with a paw. It suddenly leapt up into the air, revealing six spider-like legs.

"WHOA!" Rory screamed, leaping back.

Calcifer and Spyro spun around as the spider-shroom advanced on Rory.

"What is **this**?" Calcifer demanded.

"I don't know." Spyro shrugged. "I've never been this far outside the dragonfly village before."

Rory set the creature ablaze with fire breath. It cried out in agony before exploding into red and green gems. The youngling quickly scooped up the gems, crushing them.

"What are those gems?" Spyro asked.

"They're Draconian Gems." Calficer replied. "They're remnants of an age long past, scattered across the world for us to remember where we came from."

"And… they turn into monsters?" Spyro wondered, an eye ridge raised.

"Not usually." Calcifer snorted.

Across the way, a few similar white mushrooms shook about in the dirt. Rory sighed. "I think there are a few more."

"They shouldn't be too much of a problem."

The three dragons continued on their way up the path. Along their way, they dealt with any odd spider-shrooms and frogweeds that appeared. Eventually, they reached the highest point of the pathway. It stopped at a cliffface. Across the large gap in the air was a narrow path, walled off by mushroom stalks on either side. Spyro looked down at the forest floor down below. It was a good fifty feet down.

Calcifer spread his wings and leapt into the air, effortlessly gliding to the other side. Rory took a running start, leaping at full force and spreading his wings halfway across the drop.

The purple youngling gulped nervously.

"What are you waiting for?" Rory asked. "Come on across?

"Uh…" Spyro stuttered. "I don't know how to fly."

Calcifer and Rory exchainged dumbstruck glances.

"You don't know how to-?!" Rory protested. Calcifer placed a paw on his muzzle.

"You don't have to." The adult dragon declared.

"I don't?" Spyro asked. "But how do I get across?"

"Just do what we did; glide." Calcifer explained. "Start off by taking a few steps back."

"Okay…" Spyro did as was told. Calcifer let go of Rory's maw.

"Jerk." The red youngling groaned, rubbing his face. The older drake ignored his brother's complaining.

"Now, Spyro, you're going to make a running start." He continued. "When you get to the cliffface, you're going to leap into the air as hard as you can. When you're at the height of your jump, spread your wings out wide. The air currents will guide you safely across."

"Uh…" Spyro stuttered. "I don't know if…"

Calcifer stepped up to the opposite clifface and spread his own wings.

"Listen to me, Spyro." He said calmly. "If you can't make it across, I'll catch you. Do you trust me?"

"Well…" the purple dragon shrugged. "I guess I do. Alright…"

Spyro took a few steps back again. "Here I GOOOOO!"

The drake ran as fast as he could. He leapt into the air upon reaching the clifface. At the height of his leap, he spread his wings out and shut his eyes. Just as Calcifer said, the air currents gently led Spyro down to the opposite clifface. His paws hit the dirt, and he sighed.

"See?" Calcifer said.

"I get it." Spyro replied. "Thanks for the voice of confidence, Calcifer."

"You're welcome." He turned around to face the pathway. "Now, let's be off."

The three dragons turned to walk down the new pathway, Spyro in the back. As they were flying, the fast fluttering of wings could be heard behind them.

"Hey, that sounds like…" Rory began

"Spyro!" Sparx's voice called.

"Huh?" Spyro turned around confused. The golden dragonfly flew across the gap and up to the purple drake's face.

"Give me a minute…" The dragonfly huffed, catching his breath. "It took a while to catch up to ya."

"Sparx, what're you doing out here?" Spyro asked.

"So, ah, me and the old man were chatting…" Sparx began. "And the whole 'belonging' thing, you know, came up. We decided that best friends belong together."

Sparx turned to look away for a second. "Even if one of them is purple and has weight issues."

"Weight issues, huh…?" Spyro grinned. "At least I've never been turned into a lantern."

Rory chuckled, while Calcifer groaned.

"Oh please!" Sparx snapped. "Lantern Shmantern. Let's see what's out there."

"Stop right there!" Calcifer interrupted. "And just why should I let a dragonfly come along?"

"I don't know, why should purple face go along with red lard balls like you?"

"HE is coming with us for his own safety." Calcifer stated. "YOU would just get in the way."

"I never get in the way! Hah!" Sparx flew up to Calcifer's face. "I laugh at the face of danger, just like I laugh at you! Haha!"

Without warning, several spider-shrooms sprouted out of the mud before the dragons.

"GAAH!" Sparx hid behind Spyro's head. Spyro and Rory laughed.

"Case in point." Calcifer turned around and burned the first spider-shroom to ashes.

"Well, I'm not leaving!" Sparx shouted behind Spyro's head.

"Fine by me." The adult drake rolled his eyes, moving on to deal with the other spider-shrooms. "Get squashed or eaten or something. I don't care."

Once the way was clear, Calcifer started moving forwards. Rory and Spyro followed behind.

Sparx went up to Spyro. "You'll make sure they don't let anything eat me, right?

"Maybe." Spyro laughed.

The three dragons and dragonfly continued down the twisting paths of the forest. After a few hours of travelling, they arrived at a sudden drop in the path, into a wide canyon. Here and there, a regular tree replaced the giant mushrooms. In the distance, the sound of riverwater splashing against an unseen shore could be heard from behind the far wall of stalks and vines.

"Ah, we're getting close to the exit from this bizarre forest." Calcifer declared.

"Where do we go from there, big guy?" Sparx asked.

"My name is Calcifer, you knat." The drake sneered. "But if you MUST know, we head onto a riverbank, and take a boat to the mainland.

"If you say so." The dragonfly shrugged.

"What's a boat?" Spyro asked.

"You don't know what a boat is?" Rory asked incredulously.

"I believe it." Calcifer stated. "I wouldn't imagine a village of dragonflies would need to travel by water."

"No, but Chunky over here tended to make a splash in the local ponds." Sparx remarked.

"Very funny, Sparx." Spyro rolled his eyes.

The three dragons all glided down into the canyon. As they came to a landing, cackling and howling came from the two sides of the canyon walls.

"Of course." Calcifer muttered. "We'll have to fight."

Sure enough, several apes leapt over the walls and landed into view. Most of them wielded bones as clubs, while a larger ape held an axe.

"Surrender!" The large ape roared.

"Not on your life!" Calcifer snapped, activating his gauntlets. Rory got into a battle stance, while Spyro just stood there, fidgeting.

Two small apes charged forwards, ready to smack them around. Rory dodged to the left, burning them with fire breath. Meanwhile, Calcifer ducked as a third ape leapt at his neck, and grabbed the beast by its leg with his jaws, tossing him into two more.

Spyro took a step forwards, but the adult drake blocked him off.

"Spyro, stand back!" Calcifer ordered. "We can't risk you getting hurt!"

"But I want to fight!" The purple drake complained.

"I'd back off if I were you, dude." Sparx commented.

"You don't know the first thing about combat!" Calcifer took a moment to headbutt an oncoming ape.

"Then TEACH ME!" Spyro demanded.

"There's no time!"

"Then I'll improvise!" Spyro ran around Calcifer and charged at the nearest ape.

"You idiot!" The adult drake hissed.

Spyro collided with the nearest ape, sending it flying backwards. Seconds later, three more apes charged at him. Beforet hey could do anything, Rory ran up and set two of them aflame. Spyro rammed into the third one, knocking it back. He then turned on the other two, who writhed in pain in the flames.

"I got this." Rory replied. He spun around, smacking the two apes with his tail blade. The two exploded into gems upon impact.

"Wow." Spyro muttered.

"Behind you!" Calcifer roared.

"What?" Before the purple drake could turn around, Rory shoved him out of the way. An axe crashed down right were Spyro was a second later.

The large ape lifted the axe back onto his shoulder. The ape pulled a purple gem from his pocket. The smaller apes seemed to gasp, and they fled the area.

"They're running away?!" Sparx exclaimed, confused.

"Get away from there, you two!" Calcifer shouted.

Rory and Spyro backed up as the ape smashed the purple gem in his paws, absorbing the mist.

"Get ready, purple freak!" The ape shouted. "Today you face Captain Dewclaw head on!"

The captain spun his axe around in the air, leaving behind an ethereal trail. The ape's body began to glow with a purple aura.

Calcifer charged forwards, ready to pounce, when a massive purple wall of flames burst from the ground before him. The flames spread around to form a ring around the area. Spyro and Rory were trapped inside.

"What the?!" Sparx exclaimed. Calcifer stopped in his tracks before the wall, swearing.

"We'll have to fight him together!" Rory said to Spyro.

"Okay…" Spyro muttered. He tried to mimic the fighting stance Rory made. Dewclaw laughed.

"You can't even fight." He scoffed. "This is almost a waste of my time."

Rory moved to circle around the ape, snarling. Spyro took a step back, ready to charge. Dewclaw swung his axe left and right before performing a spinning strike towards the purple drake. Spyro ran to the side, while Rory charged forwards, unleashing fire breath. The flames burned the ape for only a moment, before he turned and swung around and counter-attacked with a downward swing. Rory dodge-rolled to the side, while Spyro ran up and unleashed his own fire breath.

"Don't waste your time!" Calcifer cried out from beyond the wall of flames. "Use physical blows! Get around him!"

Spyro and Rory dashed around Dewclaw, who sneered. He spun around and slammed his axe down between them.

"Go, go!" Rory exclaimed. The two dashed about again, trying to reach the ape's backside. Over and over again, the ape moved to swing at them, never letting them get the drop on him.

"Wait a minute…" Spyro said to himself. The purple drake move around the area, tryng to be opposite Rory. Dewclaw moved to face Spyro, axe at the ready. While he was distracted, Rory ran forwards and rammed the ape in the base of his back.

Dewclaw dropped his axe, snarling in pain as he held his back.

"Damn you!" he roared.

"Now's your chance!" Calcifer exclaimed.

Rory and Spyro pounced upon the struggling ape, using their flame breaths to their fullest. Dewclaw twitched in agony. He fell to the ground and rolled onto his knees, howling. The two younglings backed away.

"Did we win?" Rory asked.

After a moment, the wall of purple flames died down. Dewclaw groaned as he stood up, struggling to lift his axe. Rory and Spyro got into battle stances, while Calcifer stormed forwards, ready to attack.

"This isn't over!" Dewclaw snapped. He leapt up onto the stalk of a nearby mushroom, and vanished from view.

"Spyro, you rock, dude!" Sparx declared, flying around the purple drake's head. "He was all like, 'I'mma chop you up'! And you were like, Dash! Zoom!"

"Uh, thanks." Spyro shrugged.

"Nice to see you can think on your feet." Calcifer remarked. "Maybe if I can find the time, I'll teach you to refine your technique."

"Hey, what about me?!" Rory complained. "I helped too!"

"Yes, but you've had prior training, Rory." The adult drake said.

"I guess so," The little brother shrugged. "But you NEVER offer to teach me!"

"We'll continue this argument later." Calcifer stated. "We need to continue on."

"But-"

Calcifer ignored Rory and led the way out of the canyon. The others followed, Sparx gushing on about Spyro and Rory trying to pester his brother.


End file.
